Drain stopper



Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES DRAIN STOPPER l Arthur J. Hiertz,Bridgeport, Conn., assigner to Bridgeport Brass Company, Bridgeport,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July 21, 1939, seriallNo. 285,655

4 Claims.

to facilitate removal of the stopper from'thedrain.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such stopperconstruction as will permit simple, quick and effective connectiontherewith of a suitable chain or cord without requiring the use oftools.

Another object is to provide suchstopper construction as will permit theattachment of a suitable chain orcord directly to 'the stopper lin asubstantially leak-proof manner and without requiring additionalconnecting parts.

Still another object is to provide a stopper which can be readilymanufactured With minimum costs.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, this invention consists in the constructionandarrangement of parts hereinafter described and then sought to be denedin the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingforming a part hereof and. which shows, merely for the purpose ofillustrative disclosure, preferred embodiments ofthe invention, it beingexpressly understood, however, vthat various changes may be made inpractice within the scope of the claims without digressing from theinventive idea.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters denotecorresponding parts,

Figure .l represents a vertical sectional elevation of a stopperconstructed according to my invention to which a ball or bead chain ofcon-f ventional form is attached in one manner by the use of an enlargedball or bead;

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of a stopper embodying my inventionand illustrating in detail the internal .stopper structure; and

Fig. 3 represents a vertical sectional elevation of a stopperconstructed according to my invention to which a ball or bead chain ofconventional form is attached in a modified manner by the use of a bellpendant or cup.

Referring now to the drawing and rst to Figs. l and 2, I denotesgenerally a stopper made of rubber or other suitable resilient material.This stopper has a tapering side wall I l adapted to engage the drain(not shown) snugly in wellknown manner. A vertical bore I2 atr thecenter of the stopper extends downwardly from the top I face thereofinto the body of the stopper andv communicates with a cavity I3 ofsubstantially z larger diameter in the body of the stopper.y In theembodiment shown, this cavity is spherical in shape. It may have othershapes. A second vertical bore I4 at the center of the stopper extendsupwardly from the bottom face of the stopper in axial alignment with thebore I2 l and also communicates with the cavity I3. The diameter of thisbore" I4 is somewhat less vthan that of the cavity ISI` and somewhatlarger than that of bore I2. Bore I4 may be flared at its lower end I4'.

This stopper IO is adapted to have a conventional bead or ball chain I6attached thereto. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, this chain I6 hasuniformly sized interconnected beads or balls I'I throughout its length.A single ball or bead I8 of enlarged diameter is attached to or over thelowermost ball II of the chain. `The diameter of the balls or beads. I'!is slightly in excess of the diameter of the bore I2 in the stopper sothat -they must be forced kthrough said bore against the action of theresilient material of the stopper.I vThe diameter of the large bead orball I8 is somewhat larger in diameter than that of the cavity I3 andbore I4 of the stopper, so that the ball or bead I8 must be forced intothe cavity I3 against the action of the resilient ymaterial which thenpresses snugly against the ball in the cavity.

This chain is attached to the stopper by insertingthe uppermost smallbead I'I through the bore I4 and cavity 3 from the bottom of 'thestopper and forcing it through the bore I2 to the upper face of thestopper and then pulling this bead andthose below it through the bore I2until the large bead I8 is pulled through the bore I4 and into thecavity I3 in the stopper.A Being somewhat larger in diameter than thecavity, it must be forced into the latter, whose resilient wallsgive toreceive it and snugly retain it in place, pressing against it to producea substantially watertight seal. The wall of bore I4, of course, isdeformed during passage of the ball I8 therethrough, but returns toinitial shapeand size as soon as the ball I8 is in the cavity I3 so thatin effect the said ball is snugly nested in `the said cavity andprevented from dislodgement by the overhanging edges I 2 and |42 Aof thetwo smaller-sized bores I2 and I4. 1This snug nesting insuressubstantiallypermanent connec-` tion of the chain and stopper and is4suiiciently watertight as practically to prevent leakage u through thedrain to which the stopper is applied.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the enlarged ball or bead I8 isreplaced by a bell pendant or cup 20 of enlarged diameter fitted to orattached over the lowermost ball or bead Il. This cup or bell pendant 20has a maximum diameter slightly in excess of the diameter of cavity I3and in excess of the diameter of both bores I2 and I4.

A bead or ball chain IG bearing this pendant or cup 20 is inserted intothe stopper in the same manner as that bearing a large ball I3, anddrawn through bore i2 until the bell pendant or cup 2D is nested in thecavity I3 between the two bores I2 and I4 whose overhanging edges I2'and M2 then prevent dislodgement of said bell or cup.

In either embodiment, the chain I6 is secured to the sink, tub orlavatory in any desired manner.

In practical embodiments of the invention, utilizing a bead chain ofest; outside diameter and a large bead or bell pendant or cup of g inchoutside diameter, the diameter of the bore I2 is approximately inch,that of cavity I3 is 1%4 inch, and that of Ibore I4 is 1A; inch. Othersizes of bead chains will naturally require diilerently diametered boresand cavities, the requisites being that the diameter of bore I2 be lessthan that of the cavity I3 and also less than that of the outsidediameter of the smallest balls or beads of the chain, so that the ballsof the chain must be forced therethrough but will not slip through ofthemselves. The diameter of the bore I4 also should be less than that ofthe cavity and of the outside diameter of the large bead or bell pendantor so that the latter will not slip through of themselves. 'Ihe cavityI3 itself should have a diameter just slightly under the outsidediameter of the large ball Ill or bell pendant or cup 2G so that theresilient material of the stopper will give sufficiently to receive theball or bell pendant or cup in the said cavity and press snugly againstthe same when in the cavity to form a practical fluid seal between saidstopper and said large ball or bell pendant or cup.

It is to be understood, of course, that departures in structural detailsare contemplated within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a stopper of the class described, an attaching chain,and an enlarged member attached to one end of said chain, said stopperbeing of resilient material having a cavity therein of somewhat smallerdiameter than the over-all diameter oi said enlarged member and whosewalls are adapted to give for receiving said enlarged member and snuglyretaining the same in said cavity by intimate engagement with a largeportion of the surface area of the wall of said enlarged member, andsaid stopper having bores of smaller diameters than that o1 said cavitycommunicating therewith from opposite faces of said stopper forpermitting the attachment of said chain to said stopper by passing saidchain through said bores and cavity from the bottom face of saidstopper, the said enlarged member being engaged and snugly retained insaid cavity with the said chain extending from said stopper through thebore between said cavity and said top face, said last named bore beingof smaller diameter thanthe outside diameter of said chain forpreventing free movement of said chain therethrough, and the bore fromthe bottom ace of said stopper being of smaller diameteithan saidenlarged member for preventing dislodgment thereof from said cavitythrough the bottom of said stopper.

2. In combination, a stopper of the class described, a pull chain of thebead type and an enlarged member attached to one end of said chain, saidstopper being or" resilient material having a cavity therein of somewhatsmaller diameter than the over-all diameter of said enlarged member andwhose walls are adapted to give for receiving said enlarged member andsnugly retaining the same in said cavity by intimate engagement with alarge portion of the surface area of the wall of said enlarged member,and said stopper having bores of smaller diameters than that of saidcavity communicating therewith from opposite faces of said stopper forpermitting the attachment of said chain to said stopper by passing saidchain through said bores and cavity from the bottom face of saidstopper, the said enlarged bead member being engaged and snugly retainedin said cavity with the said chain extending from said stopper throughthe bore between said cavity and said top face, said last-named borebeing of smaller diameter than the outside diameter of said chain forpreventing free movement of said chain therethrough, and the bore :fromthe bottom face of said stopper being of smaller diameter than saidenlarged member for preventing dislodgenient thereof from said cavitythrough the bottom of said stopper. i

3. A stopper for use with a pull chain having an enlarged end, saidstopper comprising a substantially solid body of resilient materialhaving a cavity of somewhat smaller dimensions than said end, and whosecavity wall is adapted togive and retain said end snugly, and havingbores of smaller size than said cavity communicating with the latterfrom opposite sides for permitting attachment of said chain to saidstopper by the insertion of said end in said cavity with said chainprojecting through one of said bores after said attachment, said one ofsaid bores being of smaller diameter than that of said chainto preventfree movement of the latter therethrough.

4. In combination, a stopper of the class described, a pull chain of thebead type and an enlarged bell pendant attached to one end of saidchain, said stopper being of resilient material having a cavity thereinof somewhat smaller dimensions than the overall dimensions of said bellpendant and Whose Walls are adapted to give for receiving said bellpendant and snugly retain the same in said cavity by intimate engagementwith a large portion of the surface area of the wall of said bellpendant, and said stopper having bores of smaller diameter than themaximum diameter of said cavity and communicating therewith fromopposite faces of said stopper for permitting the attachment of saidchain to said stopper lby passing said chain through said bores andcavity from the bottom face of said stopper, the said bell pendant beingengaged and snugly retained in said cavity with the said chain extendingfrom said stopper through the bore between said cavity and said topface, said last named bore being of smaller diameter than the outsidediameter of said chain for preventing free movement of said chaintherethrough, and for aiding in preventing dislodgment of said bellpendant from said cavity through the bottom of said stopper.

ARTHUR J HIERTZ.

